Earth Hour is this weekend, but energy conservation is important all year

Toronto Hydro customers embracing conservation tips as average power use is decreasing

TORONTO, March 18, 2016 /CNW/ - Toronto Hydro is encouraging customers to conserve electricity and show support for Earth Hour on Saturday, March 19 between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. 

At the same time, we want to recognize our customers for already being conservation champions all year round.

In fact, according to our recent Twitter poll, 77% of people say they conserve energy beyond Earth Hour.  Over the past decade, average electricity consumption has dropped by more than 23% – from 9,581 kilowatts per hour (kWh) in 2005 to 7,348 kWh in 2015. The average customer consumes only 650 kWh per month. To show support for Earth Hour, customers can safely go "off the grid" by turning off all non-essential lighting, appliances and devices. If using candles as a light source, do not leave them unattended.

Earth Hour is a global environmental initiative in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which asks individuals, businesses, governments and communities to turn off their lights to show their support for environmentally sustainable action. Last year, electricity usage during Earth Hour dropped by 3.5%.

For conservation tips to help you conserve during Earth Hour and throughout the year, visit torontohydro.com/conservation.

CONSERVATION TIPS

• In the winter months keep curtains open to heat your home naturally; in summer, close them to keep your home cool
• Shift your laundry and set your dishwasher to start after 7 p.m. when off-peak prices begin
• Turn down your thermostat. For every degree lower, you'll save up to 3% on heating costs
• Unplug appliances and devices that aren't being used to avoid phantom power 

QUOTES

"We've seen a decline in the popularity of Earth Hour over the last several years, but our customers are still doing their part every day to conserve.  We want to congratulate them for their year-round commitment to power conservation."

-  Tori Gass, Media Relations Specialist, Toronto Hydro

ABOUT TORONTO HYDRO

Toronto Hydro owns and operates an electricity distribution system, which delivers electricity to approximately 756,000 customers located in the city of Toronto. It is the largest municipal electricity distribution company in Canada and distributes approximately 19% of the electricity consumed in the province of Ontario.

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SOURCE Toronto Hydro Corporation

Image with caption: "Average electricity consumption in Toronto has dropped by more than 23% since 2005, which shows Toronto Hydro customers are conservation champions all-year long. (CNW Group/Toronto Hydro Corporation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160318_C2443_PHOTO_EN_645792.jpg

Tori Gass, Communications and Public Relations, 416-903-4037, [email protected]; 24-hours media line: 416-903-6845, [email protected]